How to Write a Killer Budtender Resume to Land the Job of Your Dreams in the Cannabis Industry

You’re not alone. In places where recreational or medical marijuana is legal, the competition for budtender jobs is fierce. There are over 100,000 full-time jobs in the legal cannabis industry right now. The numbers are steadily growing. But for how many people are hoping to work in the industry, that’s not a lot of jobs.

To beat the competition, you’ll need to have a great budtender resume. However, this type of resume is probably pretty different from the ones you’ve written in the past. Feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of writing a new resume? We’re here to help.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through what you need to focus on in your marijuana resume. Keep reading so you can land the cannabis job of your dreams!

1. Highlight Your Knowledge

First and foremost, getting a job in the cannabis world is all about having the right knowledge.

Just as with any job, people hiring in the legal marijuana industry are hoping to hire people who know their stuff. The more the staff knows when they start working, the less the company has to spend on training. This means that they’ll almost always hire the most knowledgeable, qualified person.

Cannabis and the industry around it are very complex. Use industry keywords to show what you know in your resume. Your cover letter is another place where you can highlight your in-depth knowledge.

2. Keep It Professional

While showing off what you know, make sure to keep it professional.

Just because cannabis is a recreational substance doesn’t mean that employers don’t want to hire people who know how to be professional. They’re hiring you to work, not to party, so make sure that your resume shows that you know that.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t show your fun side – just that you also have to balance it with the appropriate amount of professionalism. For example, don’t use slang terms for marijuana: write “cannabis,” not “weed.”

Proofread your budtender resume, or have someone else do it, to make sure it’s free from spelling or grammar errors. Follow standard resume format so that all the necessary information is there. You can get a little bit creative with the design if you think the job calls for it, but it’s generally best to err on the side of being too professional.

3. Don’t Mention Your Own Cannabis Use

You might think that cannabis jobs mean you should be a heavy smoker and highlight that in your resume. However, cannabis recruiting experts actually don’t want to see anything about how much you smoke, vape, or dab.

If you were applying to be a bartender, you wouldn’t talk about how often you get drunk (hopefully!). So don’t talk about how often you get high when you’re applying to be a budtender.

This doesn’t mean you should pretend you never get high. Most companies would like to hire someone who enjoys the product and is familiar with its effects. However, this isn’t something you should waste valuable resume space discussing.

You also don’t want to brag about the quantities you use. If anything, mention how you can appreciate the quality of fine bud instead.

Keep in mind that your potential employer already knows you’re weed-positive. After all, you’re applying for the job. So you don’t need to prove it by talking about how often you use. The fact that you like weed is already safe for them to assume.

4. Explain Your Experience

Chances are good that you don’t have relevant experience in the industry yet. When breaking into the cannabis industry, you don’t need to have had prior cannabis-related jobs. But you do need to be able to explain how the experience you do have is related to the job.

For example, maybe you’ve worked in a coffee shop before. This gives you experience with customer service and with recommending the best coffee for each customer’s preference. This translates nicely to recommending a strain based on flavor, scent, and potency. On your resume, discuss the skills from your past jobs that will translate to working with cannabis.

5. Mention Education

In addition to highlighting related experience, you can also mention any education you have in the cannabis field.

You probably never got to study cannabis in college. However, if you can take a seminar, an online workshop, or something similar to learn more about cannabis, this shows potential employers that you’re invested. If you have any related certifications or took relevant courses, your resume is the perfect place to say so.

6. Stick to What’s Relevant

Your resume shouldn’t be a catch-all where you include everything you’ve ever learned or done.

Some of your prior jobs can be made relatable to an employer in the cannabis industry. However, other jobs might have nothing to do with the skills you’ll need in this field. If that’s the case, you should leave them off of your resume – especially if they were jobs you held a long time ago.

7. Keep It Legal

Chances are you have some experience with cannabis before it was legalized. However, you shouldn’t highlight the ways you broke the law on your budtender resume. Focus on your experience with cannabis since it’s become legal instead.

8. Show Passion

If you do all of the above, you’ll have a pretty strong marijuana resume. But it often takes something extra to beat the competition. That’s why you should also show passion.

In your objective section, in your cover letter, or anywhere else it makes sense, highlight how strongly you feel about the great things cannabis can do. This helps show the employer that you’re the right candidate for the job.

Ready to Write Your Budtender Resume?

Just like with any other industry, writing a great budtender resume is all about knowing what employers are looking for, and showing them that you have it. If you follow these steps, you’ll be well on your way to getting the cannabis job of your dreams.

Of course, another lucrative way to get in on the cannabis industry is to start your own business. For tips on how to get funding for a startup, don’t miss this post.